Electronics for Harbeths -- $5-10K

helomech: "$5K-$10K amplification is going to easily outclass your speakers such that the Harbeths become the new bottleneck. I understand why that would be hard to believe given all the hype surrounding this brand, but take the Harbeths along and compare them to nearly any $10K/pair speakers on $5K electronics and you’ll understand why I say this. The resolution required to justify most $5K^ amplification (especially in the bass and highs) just isn’t there."

helomech: Hmmm... Don’t take this wrong, but your comments are at odds with those of every other person I’ve spoken to, as well as with my own first-hand experience. As I’ve mentioned, there’s no place within thousands of miles where I could "take my Harbeths." But more to the point, given that your opinion is incongruent with those of so many knowledgable, experienced persons -- from Hartley and Atkinson on down to buddies with Golden Ears (even the late Art Dudley personally recommended Harbeths to me when I was forced to sell my Quad ESLs) -- please let me know why I should take your conclusory opinions seriously without any details to back them up?

E.g., Are your comments based on first-hand direct comparisons?  If so, please be specific about source material, associated equipment, and room characteristics so others can put your observations in context. If you have something of value to offer, I would certainly give it consideration.

Thanks for your comments.

@cundare2

I was referring to the Acrolink 8N-A2080III having a warm and liquid midrange with a tube-like glow in the highs, not the Silver Apex which you currently own.  I don't have experience with the Silver Apex.

I consider the difference between our experiences evidence that the only way to know what a particular cable will sound like in your system is to put it in your system. Cables are extraordinarily complex beasts and can interact with other components in the craziest ways. That’s why I NEVER recommend specific cables to friends.

I agree with this. The only difference is I will recommend specific cables which I have experience with to people whereas you don’t do that. To me, cables are the same as other components such as amps or DACs. You will only know if it will work out for you once you have it in your system. The point I’m trying to convey is you may achieve your goal with a different cable rather than looking at changing amps.

Ah! So much for my reading comprehension!

Your recommendation is a good one, but I think regardless, an amp upgrade is long overdue. But you’re making me think that I might need to incorporate a cable re-evalution at the same time.

What’s interesting is the fact that the amps sound the worst when fed by 100% Silver Apex cables. Yes, there are a zillion other factors that make each signal path unique in its own way, but still...

One possibility is that the Silver Apex segments sound the most Class D-ish because they’re the most revealing. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to swap them all out, since some have singular connectors, like the tonearm cable.

Regardless, I would hate to give up those expensive cables. They’re so impressive, even mind-boggling, in terms of presentation and detail. No other upgrade that I’ve ever made in this system has done so much to promote a broad, truly 3-dimensional soundstage. After I inserted them into the system, I could not stop listening to vinyl. The endorphin rush -- the thing that keeps so many of us in this hobby -- was intense.

I just hope that swapping a $2000 amp for an $11,000 amp produces as dramatic an improvement.

What model Harbeths are you using? I have owned many different Harbeths and they sing with tubes! If you are restricted to solid state LFD should fit the bill! Give Gene a call he has been selling Harbeths for many years !

Gene Rubin Audio